Former APC spokesman Timi Frank has called on President Bola Tinubu to apologise to Nigerians and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over the removal of petrol subsidy. His demand follows the Federal Government’s announcement of a 30-day arrangement for NNPC retail outlets to sell petrol at cost, a measure Frank says resembles a proposal the administration previously criticised.
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has urged President Bola Tinubu to apologise to Nigerians and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following the Federal Government’s announcement of a 30-day petrol discount at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) retail outlets.
Frank made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, October 9, arguing that the temporary intervention raises questions about the administration’s position on petrol subsidy after its removal in May 2023.
The Federal Government announced that NNPC Retail would temporarily forgo its petrol retail profit margin and sell fuel at cost for an initial period of 30 days. The measure is intended to cushion households and commercial transport operators against rising petrol prices linked to global crude oil market volatility.
The Presidency has stressed that the arrangement does not amount to a return to a blanket fuel subsidy.
Frank argued that the intervention resembles Atiku’s earlier proposal to restore petrol subsidy as a way of easing the financial pressure on Nigerians. He said the President should acknowledge the proposal rather than dismissing it when it was raised by the former vice president.
According to Frank, the government should recognise that practical measures to reduce the burden of fuel costs deserve consideration regardless of who proposes them.
He also criticised the distinction between the newly announced discount and the subsidy arrangement the administration abolished. Frank described the move as an inconsistency in the government’s approach and called on Tinubu to apologise for the economic consequences Nigerians have faced since subsidy removal.
The former APC spokesman said rising petrol prices have contributed to higher transportation and logistics costs, affecting traders, manufacturers, farmers, small businesses and households. He argued that increased costs have placed additional pressure on food prices, commuting expenses and the purchasing power of citizens.
Frank further questioned whether a 30-day intervention would provide meaningful and lasting relief. He called on the government to explain how many NNPC outlets would participate, the quantity of petrol to be sold under the arrangement and what measures would follow when the initial period ends.
The Federal Government, through Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele, has maintained that the arrangement is a temporary sale-at-cost measure rather than a reversal of subsidy removal. The Presidency has also announced other proposed measures to address fuel-price volatility and transport costs.
Atiku, who is associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has also criticised the 30-day plan, arguing that a temporary discount would not resolve the wider cost-of-living pressures faced by Nigerians. The disagreement has widened the political debate over how the government should respond to rising petrol prices and the economic effects of its reforms.
Frank maintained that the key issue is whether the intervention will deliver meaningful relief beyond the short-term discount. He urged the administration to address the effects of higher fuel costs on households and businesses and to explain how it intends to sustain relief after the 30-day period.
The announcement has therefore triggered renewed debate over petrol pricing, the consequences of subsidy removal and the extent to which temporary interventions can ease the financial pressure on Nigerians.